Among students at the two-year college Dr. Lauren Lunk, West Georgia Technical College

Non-Traditionally aged More than half of all BS/BAs awarded are to students who first attended a community college. Average age of attendance is 29, but serving an increasing number of traditionally aged students and high school students. Just want to come to school part-time and go home/work, they dont have time Nationally 41% of community college students are Full-time, 59% part-time Not interested in the fluff stuff of college (EX: activities, programming, etc) Are we assuming this or do we have data to support it at our own institution? American Association of Community College – Trends and Statistics (more in references)

Abraham Maslow (1943) Hierarchy of Human Needs that drive Motivation Physiological Needs Safety Needs Love and Belonging Esteem Self-actualization

Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary (1995) the need to belong is a fundamental human motivation…more precisely, the belongingness hypothesis is that human beings have a pervasive drive to form and maintain at least minimum quantity of lasting, positive, and significant interpersonal relationships (Baumeister and Leary, P. 497, 1995). Creating and maintaining positive relationship is a fundamental motivation until they have reached at least a minimum level of social contact and relatedness with others

Solidifying social bonds should produce a positive outcome for most individuals Retention Graduation Student Development Higher GPA Breaking social bonds or not creating bonds should cause negative outcomes. Isolation Disconnectedness

Students engagement with other students and faculty outside of the classroom is crucial to student development, retention and academic success (Astin, 1999; Baker, 2008; Carini, Kuh, & Klein, 2006; Fischer, 2007; Flowers, 2004; Foubert & Grainger, 2006; Kuh, 1995). Students having formal academic ties and relationships is positively related to a students GPA. (Fischer, 2007). We must provide students the opportunity and desire to connect with faculty, staff, and students in an academic environment!

What opportunities do students at your school have to connect outside of the classroom? Campus Activities (all campus/college events) Interest Groups and Organizations (drama, music, art, etc) Academically focused clubs and organizations (advised by faculty) Service Learning Athletics Leadership Programming

Spirit Events designed to promote college pride (homecoming, welcome events, spring fling, pep rally, etc). Student Government Association Awareness Events Educating students on topics and issues important to the college community Wellness Events Programs and opportunities supporting students physical and mental wellness. Art Shows for students to compete and display their work Theater productions

How do you teach your students to be leaders? How do we develop our students into leaders? Leadership [program] participants showed growth in civic responsibility, leadership skills, multicultural awareness, understanding of leadership theories and personal and societal values" (Cress, Astin, Zimmerman-Oster, & Burkhardt, 2001, p.15)

According to a 1995 study by Kuh, the out-of-class experience is considered by many students to be an opportunity to learn in the real world rather than just in a classroom (Kuh, 1995, p. 145) Phi Beta Lambda DECA SADHA SNA Literary Arts Magazine WGTCs Team Up program Collaborative effort allowing academic programs to promote their program while providing learning events for other students on campus.

Peer Mentors, Faculty/Staff Mentors (Bernier, Larose, Soucy, 2005; Cuseo, 2005; Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh & Whitt, 2010) Supplemental Instruction (Kuh,, Kinzie, Schuh & Whitt, 2010; Tinto, 1993) Learning Communities provide more opportunities for all students including commuter students to connect with one another academically and socially (Kuh, Kinzie, Buckley, Bridges, & Hayek, 2011)

Think about the connections – College provides various ways for students to meet others and engage with the faculty and staff. Student choose to participate in activities that are meaningful to them. Students who participate feel a sense of belongingness Students who feel belongingness are more likely to persist towards graduation. College provides opportunities for students to openly connect faculty, staff, and students. Student participates in socially and academically engaging opportunities Student Feels Connected and a sense of Belonging Retention and Graduation

Astin, A. W. (1999). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Development, 40(5), Retrieved from Baker, C. N. (2008). Under-represented college students and extracurricular involvement: The effects of various student organizations on academic performance. Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, 11(3), doi: /s y Bernier, Annie, Simon Larose, and Nathalie Soucy. "Academic mentoring in college: The interactive role of students and mentors interpersonal dispositions." Research in Higher Education 46.1 (2005): Carini, R. M., Kuh, G. D., & Klein, S. P. (2006). Student engagement and student learning: Testing the linkages. Research in Higher Education, 47(1), doi: /s Cress, C. M., Astin, H. S., Zimmerman-Oster, K., & Burkhardt, J. C. (2001). Developmental outcomes of college students' involvement in leadership activities. Journal of College Student Development, 42(1), Cuseo, J. (2005). The case for faculty and staff mentoring programs for college students. Fischer, M. J. (2007). Settling into campus life: Differences by Race/Ethnicity in college involvement and outcomes. The Journal of Higher Education, 78(2), pp doi: /jhe Flowers, L. A. (2004). Examining the effects of student involvement on african american college student development Journal of College Student Development, 45(6), doi: /csd Foubert, J. D., & Grainger, L. U. (2006). Effects of involvement in clubs and organizations on the psychosocial development of first- year and senior college students. NASPA Journal, 43(1),

Kezar, A., & Moriarty, D. (2000). Expanding our understanding of student leadership development: A study exploring gender and ethnic identity. Journal of College Student Development, 41(1), Kuh, G. D. (1995). The other curriculum: Out-of-class experiences associated with student learning and personal development. The Journal of Higher Education, 66(2), Retrieved from Kuh, G. D., Hu, S., & Vesper, N. (2000). "They shall be known by what they do": An activities-based typology of college students. Journal of College Student Development, 41(2), Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., & Whitt, E. J. (2010). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. John Wiley & Sons. Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Buckley, J. A., Bridges, B. K., & Hayek, J. C. (2011). Piecing Together the Student Success Puzzle: Research, Propositions, and Recommendations: ASHE Higher Education Report (Vol. 116). John Wiley & Sons. Maslow, A. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, p National Center for Education Statistics. (2004). Integrated postsecondary education data system (IPEDS) fall enrollment survey [Data file]. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. (2004). Beginning postsecondary students longitudinal study: Second follow-up (BPS:96/01) (NCES ). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Available from the Data Analysis System Web site, National Center for Education Statistics. (2005). National postsecondary student aid study: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Available from the Data Analysis System Web site,